Brentford 0-0 Fulham: Keith Andrews' side miss chance to go into Premier League top six after Bernd Leno makes last-minute wonder save
Report and free match highlights as Brentford and Fulham shared the spoils in a forgettable west London derby draw; Igor Thiago missed a good early chance as he remains one goal behind Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race; Bernd Leno denied Dango Ouattara with a late wonder save
Saturday 18 April 2026 15:47, UK
Brentford missed the chance to go into the top six for a few hours at least as Fulham held them to a forgettable 0-0 west London derby draw - thanks to a last-minute wonder save from Bernd Leno.
A drab affair nearly came to life in stoppage time as Dango Ouattara thought he had given the Bees a late derby win - only for Leno to tip it over the bar in spectacular fashion. In a further frustration for Brentford, Nathan Collins headed another golden chance wide from the resulting corner.
"These moments in the last minute are always the best," said Leno to TNT Sports after the game. "It was a difficult one. I wasn't even sure if the ball was in or not but then I saw all my mates coming over to me.
"It was a good moment and it was important for us because I think we deserved a point today."
That's questionable. Fulham had won the last three derbies between the two but failed to register a shot on target all game - as Marco Silva's side face an uphill task to reach the European places themselves, with five matches to go.
Their best chance came through Ryan Sessegnon, who blazed over a good opening in the first half. Late on in the game, Harry Wilson - who has a history of late heroics against Brentford - side-footed a decent opening wide after being played through down the right.
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Brentford - under the watchful eye of former head coach Thomas Frank in the stands - had the better chances throughout. Igor Thiago - still one goal behind Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race - headed an early opportunity wide of goal when he should have hit the target, while Keane Lewis-Potter scooped a golden chance over with the last kick of the half.
In the second period, Mikkel Damsgaard clipped over from outside the box when given a clear sight of goal, before Lewis-Potter's goalbound hit Thiago from Michael Kayode's long throw. Then the Bees missed their two golden chances to win it in stoppage time through Ouattara and Collins.
A fifth straight draw for Brentford moves them level with sixth-placed Chelsea - but gives the teams below them the chance to move above them into seventh, which is enough for European football next season.
Fulham - who lost Alex Iwobi to a first-half hamstring injury - could fall as far as 14th by the end of the weekend.
Silva unhappy at failing to win
Fulham head coach Marco Silva:
"When you come here, as always, you come with a mission to win the game. That's something that we have been able to do recently, three times in a row, not just here, but at the Cottage too.
"And we wanted to win the game. It was our ambition to win the game. Of course, when you draw a game, you should not be pleased if the ambition was to win.
"It was not a game of big chances, but I believe the better ones, they were from ourselves. Sessegnon was completely in a good position, didn't find a target in a very good open play moment from us, a good chance from him.
"They had one good one from a set-piece, apart from that, nothing more from them."
Andrews: We've come a long way since last derby game
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews:
"This game is quite a poignant one because it showcases for me where we've come in the space of seven months. At Craven Cottage on 25th September when Fulham were the better team and deserved to win the game. I think you can now see the evolution of our team.
"They've been together for numerous years under the same head coach and how we are a team? We're on that can compete with everyone in this league.
"So what I want to do is continue that mentality of play fearless, we're all in this together and where that brings us, I'm not entirely sure."
Analysis: Brentford's Europe bid is becoming stale
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz at the Gtech Community Stadium:
Five draws in a row for Brentford, six if you count the FA Cup fifth-round loss to West Ham on penalties. The stalemates are showing that Brentford's European bid is going stale.
At full-time, Hard-Fi's song Hard to Beat rang round the Gtech Community Stadium and that is certainly the case. But a third goalless draw in five Premier League games suggests that Brentford are becoming hard to watch too.
Watching Brentford was once a guaranteed hit with goals flying in at the Gtech. But they still haven't won at home since January 7 - and it's all becoming a bit stuck for Keith Andrews, particularly at the top end of the pitch. They have the second-top goalscorer in Igor Thiago in their team, but there's not enough depth around him.
Brentford's lack of options can clearly be seen through the fact they failed to make a substitution against Fulham. They only made one in the 2-2 draw with Everton - with not enough trust put in the likes of Reiss Nelson and exciting young winger Romelle Donovan to win the game of the bench.
Brentford's injury list is significant with no Vitaly Janelt, Fabio Carvalho, Antoni Milambo and Rico Henry. But a lack of reliable options raises the question: if Brentford do make Europe, is it really worth it for them given their thin squad?
